NCSL Podcasts

This is Legislative Staff Week 2023 at NCSL, and we sat down with two staffers to talk about why people come to work in the legislature and why they stay. Our guests are Anne Sappenfield, director of the Wisconsin Legislative Council and NCSL staff chair, and Heshani Wijemanne, assistant secretary of the California Senate. Sappenfield began working in the legislature in the mid-‘90s while Wijemanne has been a legislative staffer since 2016. Sappenfield and Wijemanne are both lawyers and they talked about why public service in the legislature was an attractive option after law school. They discussed the appeal of being involved in the legislative process, how things have changed in legislatures over the years and the challenge of explaining what they do to family and friends. They also talked about the challenges they faced during the pandemic and the critical role staff play in preserving the institution of the legislature.ResourcesLegislative Staff Week 2023, NCSLOffice of the Secretary of the Senate, CaliforniaWisconsin Legislative Council

Host Tim Storey’s guest for this episode is Leonor Ehling, the executive director of the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State University. She is also co-director of the Legislative Staff Management Institute (LSMI), which is a flagship program that NCSL produces jointly with Sacramento State and the University of Southern California.They discussed LSMI and the hundreds of legislative staffers who have had the opportunity to enhance their management and leadership skills. Ehling also discussed her role as director of the Capital Fellows Program, which places 64 fellows each year in all three branches of California government. She reflected on how two decades as a legislative staffer helped her understand the value of recruiting a diverse group of fellows, many of whom still work in the legislature today.ResourcesCenter for California Studies

Young students in New Mexico made history when they convinced lawmakers that the smell of roasting chilis should be the state's official aroma. They researched, wrote letters, testified in hearings and celebrated when the Governor signed the bill at their school. It's the only state with a designated aroma, and it was the first time students were the force behind a new law, with the help of Senator William Soules, a former teacher and administrator in their Las Cruces school district.

Childhood vaccinations in the U.S. were steady for the decade before the pandemic, but have shown a decline for the past couple of years. We sat down with Dr. Pam Shaw, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center, who explained some of the reasons for that decline. She also discussed other disruptions to vaccinations and some of the challenges to getting children vaccinated, particularly those who were uninsured.Also on the show is Shannon Kolman, who follows vaccine policy for NCSL. She notes the large number of vaccine related bills introduced in the past couple of years, and explains how legislatures have tried to make it easier for children to get vaccinated.ResourcesLawmakers Turn to Data Systems to Guide Vaccine Decision-Making, NCSLMMWR, Vaccination Coverage by Age 24 Months – National Immunization Survey – U.S. 2019-2021, CDCMMWR, Vaccination Coverage with Selected Vaccines and Exemption Rates Among Child in Kindergarten, CDCState Public Health Legislation Database, NCSLStates with Religious and Philosophical Exemptions From School Immunization Requirements, NCSLVaccine Policy Series, NCSL

ResourcesSenator Whitney WesterfieldThe Sentencing ProjectWhy Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence, The Sentencing Project

ResourcesLegislative Staff Management Institute, NCSLUniversity of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy

National Conference of State Legislators Center for Legislative StrengtheningNational Institute for Civil Discourse Next Generation ProgramMillennial Action Project

ResourcesState Exchange on Employment and Disability, U.S. Department of Labor

ResourcesEarn to Learn

ResourcesCouncil of State Governments

Resources“The Time Is Now,” NCSL

ResourcesState Elections Database, NCSL

Just a couple of weeks after George Floyd was killed by a police officer and a video of his death sparked massive protests, a group of white Alabama Republicans asked Black Democrats to meet in a church and talk. No one knew what to expect, but that first “raw and emotional” meeting led to historic collaboration. Democrats – a small minority in the statehouse – said they felt heard. Republicans said they gained a deep understanding of the systemic racism that Blacks are up against in Alabama. Both sides worked together to pass laws addressing long-standing inequities, and their work continues today. We’ll explore what happened when they met behind closed doors to be honest about the thorny issues of racism in Across the Aisle, NCSL’s podcast on bipartisanship.

ResourcesAmericans for the Arts

Resources100% Human

ResourcesNCSL

RESOURCESPrescription Drug State Bill Tracking Database | 2015-PresentRep. Iman Jodeh, Colorado General Assembly

Contact Host and Producer Kelley Griffin, Sr. Editor at [email protected]

ResourcesPeverill Squire, University of Missouri

ResourcesBiden-Harris Administration Announces $5.6 Million in Internet for All Grants to Two Minority-Serving Colleges and Universities in California, National Telecommunications and Information AdministrationDigital Inclusion Trailblazers, NDIAHigh-Speed Internet for AllJoin the NDIA CommunityThe New Broadband Maps Are Finally Here, Federal Communications Commission, FCCState Digital Equity Plan Toolkit, NDIASee more about NDIAUpdates on the Affordable Connectivity Program, NDIAVideo and slides from NDIA Digital Equity Act and BEAD Webinar

Contact Kelley Griffin at [email protected].

ResourcesNational Academy of Public Administration

ResourcesInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Implementation and Key Resources, NCSLNational Association of State Energy OfficialsOffice of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy

ResourcesPortable Benefits for Gig Workers, NCSL LegisBrief

ResourcesThe Cook Political Report With Amy Walter

ResourcesHealth Management AssociatesMedicaid: Unwinding From the Public Health Emergency, NCSL

Resources2020 Traffic Safety Trends Report, NCSLAutonomous Vehicles State Bill Tracking Database, NCSLBicycle and Pedestrian Safety Webpage, NCSLDrunken Driving Webpage, NCSLInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Implementation and Key Resources, NCSLMarijuana-Impaired Driving Webpage, NCSLNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNCSL Transportation Webpage, NCSLNHTSA Statement on Traffic FatalitiesRon Thaniel bioTraffic Safety State Bill Tracking Database, NCSLTransportation Podcasts, NCSL

ResourcesClint Hurdle’s website

ResourcesEnergy Emergencies: The State Legislative Role in Planning and Response, NCSLFEMA Funding for Energy Resilience: Highlighting the Role of State Legislatures, NCSLNCSL Energy Homepage NCSL Energy Resilience webinarsOffice of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, DOEStates Turn to Microgrids to Bolster Energy Resilience, NCSL

ResourcesPrescription Drugs Update: State Efforts to Boost Access and Lower Costs, NCSLPrescription Drug State Bill Tracking Database, NCSL

ResourcesInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation, AASHTOInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NCSLU.S. DOT Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act information

ResourcesCouncil of State and Tribal EpidemiologistsUsing Data Exchange to Improve Public Health, NCSLState Public Health Legislation Database, NCSL

ResourcesRobyn Benincasa website

ResourcesNorth American Securities Administrators AssociationFind your state securities regulatorRegulation Best InterestNASAA Whistleblower Model ActNASAA Senior Model ActNASAA Restitution Assistance Fund Model Act

ResourcesKevin O’Leary websiteClosing General Session: Of Spaceships and Shark Tanks, NCSL 2022 Legislative Summit

ResourcesCannabis decriminalization overview, NCSLCannabis Public Policy ConsultingState cannabis policy enactment database, 2022, NCSLState medical cannabis laws, NCSL

ResourcesBipartisan Policy CenterJoint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard UniversityGetting Serious About Housing Supply Series, Bipartisan Policy CenterHow much are government regulations costing multifamily developers? Hint: A lot, Bipartisan Policy CenterNational Association of Home BuildersNMHC-NAHB Cost of Regulations Report (2022), National Multifamily Housing Council“Opening Doors to Housing Security,” NCSL 2022 Legislative Summit Which Metro Areas Are Seeing Rising Rents and Home Prices? All of Them, Bipartisan Policy Center

ResourcesClay Jenkinson website

ResourcesRanked Choice Voting, NCSL

ResourcesState Policy Options and Pharmacy Benefit Managers, NCSLPrescription Drug Trends: Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform, Affordability Boards and More, NCSL

ResourcesNational Institute for Civil Discourse

ResourcesChris Sprowls wraps first season of ‘Read, White & Blue’ podcast, Florida Politics

ResourcesMental Health Emergencies, Law Enforcement and Deflection Pathways, NCSL

ResourcesThe Cook Political Report

ResourcesErica Keswin websiteLegislative Staff Week with Erica Keswin

ResourcesAssociation of State Drinking Water AdministratorsInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Implementation and Key Resources, NCSL

The Good Friday Agreement that ended most of the violence in Northern Ireland was signed on April 10, 1998. It is widely regarded as a monumental peace deal after 30 years of violence. Bertie Ahern, who served as Taoiseach or prime minister of the Republic of Ireland from 1997 to 2008, was a key player in the negotiations. On this podcast, Ahern talks with NCSL’s Tim Storey on how the deal was struck and what politicians today can learn from the challenges he and his colleagues faced. A core principle he stressed is that both sides need to feel they’ve won to have a successful negotiation, and both sides must agree the status quo is unacceptable. Ahern is joined by Senator Mark Daly, the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann or chair of the Senate of Ireland. He discussed the critical role of Irish-American relations to his country and new initiative to reach out to state legislators in the U.S.

ResourcesNational Democratic Redistricting CommitteeNational Republican Redistricting TrustOAS Episode 155 TranscriptionRedistricting resources, NCSL

RESOURCESJobs for the FutureLabor and Employment homepage, NCSLSen. Becky Massey, Tennessee Senate website

RESOURCESDonna Washington website